EXECUTIVE CHANGES: SUPERVALU NAMES HAUGARTH TO HEAD DISTRIBUTION... UNDERHILL JOINS AHOLD AS SVP, COMMUNICATIONS... FRY'S TAPS DOYEL AS DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS...

SUPERVALU NAMES HAUGARTH TO HEAD DISTRIBUTION

eek it has named Janel Haugarth senior vice president of Supervalu and president and chief operating officer of the company's distribution operations. Haugarth, 50, has been president of the wholesaler's Northern region, headquartered in Hopkins, Minn., since 2000. In her new position, she will succeed Mike Jackson, who was named president and chief operating officer at the company's annual meeting last week. Haugarth will report to Jackson in her new post. The move becomes effective later this summer. Haugarth will continue to oversee the Northern region operations until her successor is named. She is a 29-year veteran of Supervalu and has held management positions in distribution and corporate finance. Haugarth has been vice president and controller for the company's distribution operations and also has held positions in merchandising and business development.

UNDERHILL JOINS AHOLD AS SVP, COMMUNICATIONS

ZAANDAM, Netherlands -- Ahold here last week said it named Kerry Underhill senior vice president, corporate communications, effective July 1. He will be responsible for corporate affairs, food safety, consumer affairs, investor relations, issue management, media relations, and marketing and internal communications. He will report to Anders Moberg, president and chief executive officer. Underhill, 46, most recently was managing director at Deutsche Bank A.G. in London, where he led the investment bank's communications and marketing divisions before focusing on internal communications. He succeeds Kiki Stiemer, who remains at the company in a strategic support role to Ahold's executive management, the company said.

FRY'S TAPS DOYEL AS DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

TOLLESON, Ariz. -- Fry's Food and Drug here last week said it has named Kendra Merritt Doyel director of public relations, a newly created position. She will be responsible for all public and media relations, community affairs and direct customer communications. Fry's, a 112-store division of Kroger, Cincinnati, recently established a public relations department. Doyel, who has worked with Fry's since 1998, most recently was pharmacy operations supervisor.

PIMENTEL TO OVERSEE RETAIL FOOD SAFETY AT NSF

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- NSF International here said it has promoted Patrick Pimentel to general manager of NSF's retail food safety programs. He will be responsible for operations and market strategy development for NSF's Retail Food Safety Division in addition to continuing his technical role in the Dine Safer restaurant food safety inspection program and the FreshCheck supermarket food-testing and certification program. Pimentel has worked in the food program at NSF International since 2001 in various roles. NSF is a not-for-profit organization that certifies products and writes standards for food, water, air and consumer goods.

ST. JOSEPH'S NAMES TWO TO FOOD MARKETING PROGRAM

PHILADELPHIA -- The Erivan K. Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph's University here said it has named two industry executives to oversee segments of its operation -- Robert R. Higgins as director of the Center of Food Marketing and Christine Hartmann as director of the Executive Food Marketing programs. Higgins succeeds Tom Kennedy, who has left the university; Hartmann succeeds Therese Waldron, who gave up oversight of the Executive Food Marketing programs but continues as director of the university's executive (general business) MBA program and its pharmaceutical marketing MBA program. Higgins, formerly senior vice president at Irving Tissue, remains a member of the board of governors for the Food Marketing Academy at Saint Joseph's; Hartmann was formerly vice president, client services, for ACNielsen, Chicago.